Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1997-10-14
1999-05-11
Aftergut, Jeff H.
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
156185, 156190, 156192, 156256, 1741015, 367 20, 367154, G01V1/38;1/20
Patent
active
059024305
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to processes which make it possible to manufacture a linear acoustic antenna of the type intended to be towed behind a boat in order to carry out acoustic explorations, for example when searching for oil.
Such antennas are formed in sections, preferably identical sections, joined together by connectors. These sections are generally formed by a sheath containing receiver hydrophones and various electronic devices. Electrical cables run from one end of the section to the other in order to enable these electronic devices to be supplied with power and to return the signals received by the hydrophones back on board the boat. Furthermore, in order to achieve sufficient tensile strength, load-taking cables are used which link the connectors at the two ends and which prevent tensile loads being applied to the sheath or to the electrical connection cables.
In order to protect the devices contained in the sheath, as well as to maintain acoustic continuity between the external medium, from which the sound waves to be detected originate, and the hydrophones loaded properly to detect these sound waves, as well as for other more secondary, but nevertheless very practical, reasons, it is necessary to fill the internal free volume of the sheath with a suitable substance.
To do this, it is known in particular to fill each section with a dielectric oil having a density less than that of water and maintained under a slight overpressure with respect to the pressure of the external medium. In this case, the load-taking cables are generally incorporated in the sheath. Implementation of this first process requires a filling operation which is particularly expensive to carry out. Furthermore, the risk of leaks is in no way insignificant.
It is also known, in particular from U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,939 filed according to the PCT procedure on Aug. 10, 1982 with Australian priority from Aug. 13, 1981, the inventor of which being Allan L. Carpenter and the proprietor of which being The Commonwealth of Australia, and granted on Jan. 1, 1985, to manufacture each section by placing the load-taking cables at the centre of the latter and by filling the sheath with an acoustic gel which embeds and immobilizes the devices, such as the hydrophones, which are found inside this sheath. Thus, a virtually "solid" antenna is obtained. Such a technique is similar to that used for the manufacture of cables. However, the performance characteristics achieved are not completely satisfactory since they do not guarantee complete acoustic continuity between the medium external to the antenna and the internal medium of the antenna, thereby disturbing the acoustic signals reaching the hydrophones. Furthermore, because of the central position of the load-taking cables, the sheath is found to creep somewhat, thereby both increasing the disturbance of the acoustic signals and making it more difficult to handle the antenna, in particular to wind it around a storage drum.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, the invention provides a process for manufacturing a linear acoustic antenna, mainly characterized in that it comprises the following steps: and adhesively bonding at least three longitudinal strips of inextensible fabric onto the surface of these cylinders so as to be distributed uniformly around the periphery of each cylinder: hollowing out cavities in the central part thus opened, and fitting electroacoustic receiver modules in these cavities; electroacoustic modules to protrude through the longitudinal slit, and adhesively bonding this slit; and winding a first layer of porous nonwoven material around the assembly, with overlap of one turn over another; this entire structure; overlap; ribbon; overlap; holding this net in place on the third layer by spots of adhesive; these rings in place by adhesively bonding them to the net; with overlap; fourth layer; oil under a slight overpressure.
According to another characteristic, the second layer in a spiral is made of nonwoven material.
According to another characteristic, the second
REFERENCES:
patent: 4180103 (1979-12-01), Mollere
patent: 4491939 (1985-01-01), Carpenter
patent: 4733379 (1988-03-01), Lapetina et al.
patent: 4809243 (1989-02-01), Bledsoe et al.
patent: 5521885 (1996-05-01), Harvey
Bertheas Jean
Carpenter Allan Lloyd
Moresco Gilles
Rivoira Robert
Aftergut Jeff H.
Thomson Marconi Sonar Pty Limited
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